Pretend work companies that help unemployed people fake having a job for a small price are springing up across China. The trend is particularly prevalent in first- and second-tier cities where people rent office space and transform it into “pretend work companies.” They usually charge between $4 and $7 a day, but the rate drops if you buy a monthly package for a working spot. Pretend workers conduct pretend interviews and set up codes of conduct such as working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., no smoking in the office, and no office romances. Many pretend work companies are also fake and are not officially registered. Some use such companies as a rented working space, while others view it as a safe haven from the pressure of seeking jobs amid the economic downturn. Some pretend companies even provide free lunchboxes and coffee. One young woman only worked at the company for a day in order to make footage for a video that she then sent to her mother to show that she had found a proper job. One 25-year-old man set himself up in a fake company and pretended to work every day for eight hours to get himself into a routine and develop a sense of security. Social media users have joked that it seems stupid to pay to work, but others see it as a way to make new friends and prepare for going to work in the real world. As one person on social media put it: “I found myself better at focusing in the fake office, but I hope one day I can stop pretending and find a real job.”
